Drugs giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been ordered by a US judge to pay $1.1bn (ú690m) for downplaying the risks involved in taking its anti-psychotic drug Risperdal.

The state of Arkansas sued J&J and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals over its marketing of the drug in 2007.

A number of US states have already found the firms guilty of similar charges and fined them accordingly.

Janssen said it was "disappointed" with the judge's decision.

The company added that if its motion for a retrial was denied, it would appeal the fine.

"During the nearly three-week trial, Janssen presented abundant evidence showing the company acted responsibly and fully complied with all laws and regulations regarding Risperdal," it said in a written statement.
Appeal

In January, J&J agreed to pay $158m to settle allegations of illegal marketing of Risperdal in Texas.

Last year, a South Carolina judge ruled the company must pay a $327m penalty after a jury found it guilty of similar charges, while in 2010, a Louisiana jury found the company violated the state's Medicaid fraud act.

These two verdicts are currently under appeal.

Medicaid is a government-backed US public heath programme for low-income citizens.

Switzerland becomes the first country in Europe to approve and accept the new non-animal test for Allergan botulinum toxin products Botox and Vistabel.

The BUAV along with our colleagues in the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE) have today welcomed news that SwissMedic has approved Allergan´┐Żs fully in vitro, cell-based assay for use in the stability and potency testing of BOTOX´┐Ż and VISTABEL´┐Ż Switzerland has become the first European country to do so, following the recent approval of the non-animal test in the U.S. and Canada.

The traditional animal test for the batch release of all botulinum products uses mice and is designed like the Lethal Dose 50 (LD50) tests. LD50 tests determine the dose at which 50% of the mice would die and involve severe suffering for the animals. Mice are injected into their abdominal cavities with the toxin and then, over three days, are observed to see if they have died or are showing signs that they will die shortly from the toxin.

Aside from the US, Canada, and now Switzerland, other regulators worldwide currently require the cruel LD50 testing before each new commercial batch of botulinum toxin product is released for use in humans.

Allergan previously stated that this new non-animal test will enable the company to reduce animal testing of BOTOX´┐Ż, BOTOX´┐Ż Cosmetic and VISTABEL´┐Ż by up to 95% in three years.

The ECEAE has long campaigned for an end to the cruel use of animals in botulinum toxin tests and recently welcomed the chance to discuss the next steps in this effort with Allergan. In the recent meeting, Allergan confirmed that the company aims to end all animal testing for the commercial (batch) release of BOTOX´┐Ż, Botox Cosmetic and VISTABEL´┐Ż once all stages of regulatory approval has been cleared.

During the meeting, Allergan also disclosed plans to work with the European medicines regulators so that this non-animal assay can be used for the commercial batch release of BOTOX´┐Ż and VISTABEL´┐Ż sold in Europe. The company confirmed that it has already filed for approval throughout the EU.

In the US, Allergan has already started selling BOTOX´┐Ż and BOTOX´┐Ż Cosmetic that has been tested using the alternative method. The ECEAE is calling on all remaining regulators worldwide to swiftly accept the non-animal alternative test.

Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of the BUAV and ECEAE stated: ´┐ŻWe are delighted that Swiss regulator have approved this non-animal test for BOTOX´┐Ż and VISTABEL´┐Ż , thereby sparing the suffering of thousands of animals. This is a significant step forward. Allergan has shown that it is possible to replace the cruel mouse bioasssay. We now call on the European medicines regulators to accept this test for BOTOX´┐Ż and VISTABEL´┐Ż sold in the European Union as swiftly as possible, and we demand urgent action from other companies manufacturing botulinum toxin products, including Ipsen and Merz, to develop similar non-animal tests.´┐Ż
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CardioGen-82 PET Scan: Drug Safety Communication - Increased Radiation Exposure

ISSUE: FDA notified the public and the medical imaging community about the potential for inadvertent, increased radiation exposure in patients who underwent or will be undergoing cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) scans with rubidium (Rb)-82 chloride injection from CardioGen-82 manufactured by Bracco Diagnostics, Inc.

BACKGROUND: A CardioGen-82 PET scan is one of a variety of nuclear medicine scans and uses the radioactive drug Rb-82 chloride injection to evaluate the heart. FDA has received reports of two patients who received more radiation than expected from CardioGen-82. The excess radiation was due to strontium isotopes which may have been inadvertently injected into the patients due to a ´┐Żstrontium breakthrough´┐Ż problem with CardioGen-82.

RECOMMENDATION: At this time, FDA believes that the risk of harm from this exposure is minimal, although any unnecessary exposure to radiation is undesirable. The estimated amount of excess radiation the two patients received is similar to that other patients may receive with cumulative exposure to certain other types of heart scans. It would take much more radiation to cause any severe adverse health effects in patients.

Healthcare professionals should closely follow the required testing and quality control procedures essential to help detect strontium breakthrough from CardioGen-82. Other types of heart scans provide information very similar to CardioGen-82 and professionals are encouraged to consider these alternatives while FDA completes its investigation of the reported cases of excess radiation exposure.

Patients who have recently had heart scans should talk to their healthcare professional if they have any questions. Patients who are planning to undergo a heart scan should talk to the healthcare professional if they are unsure of the type of planned heart scan and the radiation risks associated with the scan.

FDA is actively investigating the root cause of this failure with CardioGen-82 and will promptly notify the public with updates.
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Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF╬▒) Blockers: Label Change - Boxed Warning Updated for Risk of Infection from Legionella and Listeria
including Remicade (infliximab), Enbrel (etanercept), Humira (adalimumab), Cimzia (certolizumab pegol), and Simponi (golimumab)

[Posted 09/07/2011]

AUDIENCE: Rheumatology, Gastroenterology, Oncology

ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals that the Boxed Warning for the entire class of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF╬▒) blockers has been updated to include the risk of infection from two bacterial pathogens, Legionella and Listeria. In addition, the Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions sections of the labels for all of the TNF╬▒ blockers have been revised so that they contain consistent information about the risk for serious infections and the associated disease-causing pathogens.

Patients treated with TNF╬▒ blockers are at increased risk for developing serious infections involving multiple organ systems and sites that may lead to hospitalization or death due to bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic, and other opportunistic pathogens.

RECOMMENDATION: The risks and the benefits of TNF╬▒ blockers should be considered prior to initiating therapy in patients with chronic or recurrent infection and patients with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection. See the Drug Safety Communication for a listing of recommendations for healthcare professionals and patients, as well as a data summary.

Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:
Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
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11 August 2011 Last updated at 17:01 GM.bbc.

Pfizer: Nigeria drug trial victims get compensation

US-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has made the first compensation payment to Nigerian families affected by a controversial drug trial 15 years ago.

It paid $175,000 (´┐Ż108,000) each to four families in the first of a series of payments it is expected to make.

The payouts are part of an out-of-court settlement reached in 2009.

In 1996, 11 children died and dozens were left disabled after Pfizer gave them the experimental anti-meningitis drug, Trovan.

The payouts were made to the parents of four of the children who died.

Their parents told the BBC they welcomed the payment, but it would not replace the loss of their loved ones.

The children were part of a group of 200 given the drug during a meningitis epidemic in the northern city of Kano as part of a medical trial comparing Trovan's effectiveness with the established treatment.

For years Pfizer maintained that meningitis - not the drug - caused the deaths and disabilities.

But after a lengthy and expensive litigation process, it reached a settlement with the Kano government in northern Nigeria.
DNA tests

The trials were carried out in Kano and the state government fought Pfizer on behalf of victims and their families.
Hajara Hajara, photographed in 2007, survived the trials but became deaf afterwards and is unable to speak

It has taken two years and DNA tests to establish who is entitled to payments, the BBC's Jonah Fisher in Lagos says.

It could take another year for payments to be concluded, he says.

Pfizer also agreed to sponsor health projects in Kano as well as creating a fund of $35m to compensate those affected.

Pfizer said it was pleased the four had been compensated.

"This is the first step in a multi-phase review process by which the independent board of trustees that manages the fund will deliver payment to all other qualified claimants," the company said in a statement.

"We thank them for their commitment and dedication to seeing this process through in the most timely and transparent way possible."

Previously unseen research papers, which were anonymously sent to the Stop
Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign at the start of 2011, have shed new
light on shocking experiments carried out by controversial testing laboratory
Huntingdon Life Sciences.

The research papers detail invasive experiments which took place on rats, mice,
rabbits and rhesus monkeys at HLS' Cambridgeshire and New Jersey laboratories
between the years 2001 and 2010. Substances tested included unleaded gas [1],
grape seed extract [2], a PCB which has been banned since 1979 [3], Botox [4],
soybean fiber [5], and paraffin wax [6]. There were also several duplicate
tests for a food additive known as PVA [7], [8] and experiments to test a
fragrance that occurs naturally in plants, which is used in cosmetics and
perfumes [9], [10]. An entire summary of all 11 shocking documents can be found
in our investigative report, 'HLS Unmasked', which can be downloaded from the
above link.

All products tested in the documents have already been tested on animals in
previous years, resulting in a wealth of data already being available which
could be used in place of repeat experiments. In addition, all products that
were tested are already circulating on the market, and are already used by
humans around the globe on a daily basis. Despite this, thousands of animals
have been poisoned and killed inside HLS to pass these products as ´┐Żsafe´┐Ż -
products which are already being consumed by the human population in vast
quantities. Furthermore, the vast majority of the substances tested are used
mainly in cosmetic products ´┐Ż such as perfumes, soap, and detergents [9] ´┐Ż
and are a far cry from the 'essential, life-saving research' that HLS claim to
be conducting.

It must also be pointed out that the tests carried out at HLS do not provide
any indication as to the actual safety of the substances in question. One
document involving the use of rats to test a naturally-occurring scent known as
'coumarin', rather frankly concludes that ´┐Żthe rat is a very poor model for
humans, and toxicity in the rat cannot be extrapolated to humans´┐Ż [9].
Another experiment, in which rats are force fed paraffin wax, the conclusion
states that the results proved to be ´┐Żof questionable relevance for human
safety evaluation´┐Ż [6]. This is regardless of the fact that HLS use rats for
most of their toxicity testing, yet they openly choose when to uphold or
discard the results depending on their desirability. This is extremely
dangerous when it comes to safety testing, which should always be based upon
reliable, scientific models that give a firm indication of how a product might
affect the human body. Instead, HLS choose to use a cheaper and slightly
quicker route which they themselves admit cannot even be relied upon for safety
evaluation in humans.

These documents are yet more evidence of the sheer lunacy behind the kinds of
animal experiments that are allowed to continue inside places like Huntingdon
Life Sciences - experiments which must end. HLS have been exposed previously as
testing coffee sweetener Splenda [11], cleaning chemicals [12], mushroom
extract [13], fermented vegetables [14] on animals. All animals were killed
either during or after experimentation took place.

Says Debbie Vincent of SHAC, ´┐Żthese new research papers reveal, once again,
the true horror and idiocy of this failing laboratory. When they are not
getting exposed for gross misconduct or severe animal welfare breaches, they
are thrust into the spotlight for testing bizarre and useless products on
animals ´┐Ż products which we all use already on a daily basis. While cosmetic
testing is supposedly banned in the UK, here we see products which are largely
used in cosmetics still being tested on vast numbers of animals at HLS. We
strongly condemn all experimentation on animals, but this blatant abuse of a
gaping legal loophole regarding cosmetic testing is absolutely not acceptable.
HLS must finally be made accountable for their cruel and unnecessary
experiments which are taking place on a regular basis behind locked doors.´┐Ż

[8] ´┐ŻEffects of polyvinyl alcohol administered in the diet to rats on
fertility, early embryonic development, growth and development´┐Ż, Food and
Chemical Toxicology 41 (2003) 729´┐Ż737

[9] ´┐ŻThe in vivo dermal absorption and metabolism of [4-14C] coumarin by rats
and by human volunteers under simulated conditions of use in fragrances´┐Ż,
Food and Chemical Toxicology 39 (2001) 153 ´┐Ż 162

[12] Development of an occupational exposure limit for n-propylbromide using
benchmark dose methods, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, August 2004,
http://www.shac.net/HLS/research_papers/cleaningchemical.pdf

[14] Safety assessment of Lactobacillus brevis KB290 as a probiotic strain,
Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology, July 2009.
http://www.shac.net/HLS/research_papers/2009%20HLS%20vegetable%20study.pdf

Find a HLS customer near you and remind them that abusing animals and funding
the torture inside HLS is the wrong choice and lets get out onto the streets
for the animals! See: www.shac.net/action/top_targets/toptargets.html

If you need any flyers or posters for demos, just get in touch, thank you for
your continued support.

SHAC

-------------------------------------
Disclaimer and Information:

The details in this action alert are provided for information purposes only,
and should not be used for any illegal activities as defined by the
jurisdiction you live in. SHAC does not support or encourage any form of
harassment; nothing in this alert has the purpose of inciting such behaviour,
and we request that all communications are kept polite.

For general information on the campaign to close Huntingdon Life Science and
for the latest news, please visit our website: www.shac.net
************************************************
WikiLeaks: Pfizer denies dirty tricks claims in Nigeria
Picture of logo Pfizer reached an out of court settlement over the case in 2009
US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has dismissed as "preposterous" reports that it hired investigators to uncover evidence of corruption against a former Nigerian attorney general.

According to a US cable released by WikiLeaks, Pfizer wanted to "put pressure" on Michael Aondoakaa.

He was heading a lawsuit against the company over a 1996 drug trial during a meningitis epidemic.

The trial allegedly led to the deaths of 11 children - charges Pfizer denies.

Pfizer reached a $75m (´┐Ż47m) settlement last year with Nigeria's Kano government over the case, which also allegedly left dozens of children disabled.

In a statement released by Pfizer in response to the leaked diplomatic cable published by the UK's Guardian newspaper, the pharmaceutical company said it "negotiated the settlement with the federal government of Nigeria in good faith and its conduct in reaching that agreement was proper".

The cable quoted conversations said to have taken place between US embassy staff and Pfizer's head in Nigeria, Enrico Liggeri.

It referred to a meeting between Mr Liggeri and US officials on 9 April 2009.

"According to Liggeri, Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to Federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases," the cable released by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks said.

"He said Pfizer's investigators were passing this information to local media."

Mr Aondoakaa was removed from the position of justice minister in February this year by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
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Novartis to pay millions in fines for off-label marketing of drug
By Stacey Burling
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. has agreed to pay $422.5 million in civil and criminal fines for promoting drugs for uses that had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday in Philadelphia.

The corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Novartis AG, which is based in Switzerland.

Under the settlement, which requires approval by federal court in Philadelphia, Novartis agreed to plead guilty and pay a criminal fine of $185 million for off-label marketing of the antiepileptic drug Trileptal.

It also will pay $237.5 million in civil penalties for off-label marketing of that drug and for offering financial inducements for doctors to prescribe Trileptal and five other Novartis medicines - Diovan, Exforge, Tekturna, Zelnorm, and Sandostatin. The "kickbacks" included payments for speaker programs, advisory board memberships, entertainment, travel, and meals to encourage doctors to prescribe the drugs.

In a news release, Novartis said it had disclosed earlier this year that it had set aside money for the settlement. The company said it had agreed to five years of additional federal monitoring, auditing, training, education, reporting, and disclosures.

"NPC will continue its commitment to high standards of ethical business conduct and regulatory compliance in the sale and marketing of our products," Andy Wyss, president of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, said in the release.

Zane David Memeger, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said Trileptal was approved for the treatment of epilepsy. After it was launched in January 2000, sales were disappointing. Company employees then began visiting doctors who would not normally treat epilepsy, such as psychiatrists and pain specialists, to promote the drug as a treatment for bipolar disorder and neuropathic pain, he said. It had not received FDA approval for those uses.

Memeger said off-label promotion could "undermine the doctor-patient relationship."

While doctors are permitted to prescribe drugs off-label, he said, drug companies can only legally promote approved uses. Memeger said Novartis made "hundreds of millions of dollars" from the illegal marketing.

Four whistle-blowers will share $26.7 million from the settlement.

The case was prosecuted in this region because three of the four whistle-blower cases were filed here.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/business_breaking/20100930_Novartis_to_pay_millions_in_fines_for_off-label_marketing_of_drug.
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SHAC has received a number of leaked documents detailing the purchase of
hundreds of monkeys from China by Huntingdon Life Sciences between 2006-2008.
The documents reveal, once again, how HLS, Primate Products, Inc and it's
customers are directly responsible for the horrible suffering of monkeys
trapped for the international primate slave trade.

The documents include contracts, invoices, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
import permits, animal health certicates issued by the People's Republic of
China, shipping routes, contact sheets, and miscellaneous e-mails (such as
correspondence about a December 2007 trip to Florida by three HLS employees to
tour Primate Products, Inc.'s quarantine facilty and breeding farm).

Without disgusting companies like Primate Products, Inc. who are an important
link in the chain of animal slavely and animal abuse. 10,000s of wild caught or
'cage bred' primates would not be used as mere experimental tools for the
vivisection industry. We call on every compassionate person to show their anger
and disgust at Primate Products, Inc. for their continued involvement in the
primate slave trade.

Diabetes drug still available despite suspension advice
Avandia pills GlaxoSmithKline is the world's third largest pharmaceutical company

A drug for type two diabetes is still being prescribed in the UK despite being recommended for withdrawal two months ago, BBC Panorama has found.

Avandia has been linked to a raised risk of heart attacks and heart failure and is under a Europe-wide review.

An expert panel of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said its use should be suspended but it is still available on the NHS.

Manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said it was safe if properly monitored.
'Alternative treatments'

Tens of thousands of patients take Avandia, also known as Rosiglitazone. It was prescribed more than one million times in the UK last year alone.
Continue reading the main story

* Panorama: A Risk Worth Taking? is broadcast on BBC One, Monday 6 September at 2030 BST or watch again on BBC iPlayer

Pharmaceutical giant GSK said its research programme proved the drug was "safe and effective when it is prescribed appropriately".

Clinicians at the MHRA's advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), voted unanimously in July for Avandia's withdrawal from the UK. But the recommendation was not made public.

The MHRA said following the advice it sent letters to healthcare professionals asking them to "consider alternative treatments where appropriate".

It also said it used the information to push for a UK withdrawal as part of the Europe-wide review by the European Medicines Agency.

The drug is meant to improve life for type two diabetics by helping to regulate blood sugar levels but there is also evidence it could increase the risk of heart failure and heart attacks.
Swelling

"Doctors were advised not to use the tablet in anyone who was at risk of heart failure," said Prof Edwin Gale, a leading UK diabetes expert.
Continue reading the main story
Main types of heart condition

* A heart attack happens when one of the coronary arteries becomes blocked by a blood clot. This cuts off the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. This is most likely to happen if you are older, male, a smoker, overweight or have high cholesterol or high blood pressure
* Heart failure is quite a misleading term and would probably be better called 'heart inefficiency'. It refers to the heart's job as a pump. The heart squeezes a set amount of blood each time it beats. If you have heart failure, the pump is less efficient and cannot cope with squeezing the same amount each time. It does not mean your heart is about to stop at any time - it means it isn't working as well as it should
* A cardiac arrest is the technical term for when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. The special electrical impulses cease, so the heart no longer knows to beat. The electrical impulses can sometimes be restarted by defibrillation or 'shocking' the heart.

Source: British Heart Foundation

Prof Gale, who chairs the European Medicines Agency scientific advisory group on diabetes, said Avandia should be withdrawn entirely.

"How long do you wait? How important is it to be absolutely certain and at what point do you start saying - this game isn't worth it, people's lives may be at risk, something should be done about it?" he said.

Clinical pharmacologist Dr Yoon Loke, of the University of East Anglia, said his analysis of the class of drug showed that it doubled the risk of heart failure, regardless of whether or not the patients were considered at high risk before they took the drug.

"Even if you restricted it to patients who don't have heart failure, you will still get patients who newly develop heart failure as a result of Avandia," Dr Loke said.

He has calculated that annually in the UK patients could suffer "about 1,000 extra heart attacks and possibly 600 extra cases of heart failure too as a result of using Avandia".

Usha Patel has diabetes and used the drug to manage her condition. But when she developed painful conditions including swelling in her legs and further tests showed that she had developed heart problems, her GP advised her to stop taking Avandia.

"Because of your heart problems, we don't want you to take any more tablets," her GP told her. "Stop it the next day. Don't take it any more."
'First priority'

Other patients Panorama spoke to have had a more positive experience with their Avandia prescription.

Helen Lovatt was first prescribed the drug by her GP six years ago and thinks that, together with her recent weight loss, it has helped bring her diabetes under control.

"It suits me, doesn't upset me in any way so if it's not broken why mend it?

"I saw in the paper about the possible side effects, but if my doctor's keeping a good check on me, I'm not going to sit and worry about it," she said.

In response to Panorama's findings, GSK said: "Patient safety is our first priority.

"We have carried out an extensive research programme, involving more than 50,000 patients to analyse the safety and benefits of Avandia and continue to believe it is safe and effective when it is prescribed appropriately."

The Europe-wide review by the European Medicines Agency into Avandia will announce findings whether to restrict its prescription or withdraw it completely later this month.

Panorama: A Risk Worth Taking? is broadcast on BBC One, Monday 6 September at 2030 BST.

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WHO swine flu experts 'linked' with drug companies
Source bbc.co.uk:

Tamiflu Governments around the world stockpiled antiviral drugs
Key scientists behind World Health Organization advice on stockpiling of pandemic flu drugs had financial ties with companies which stood to profit, an investigation has found.
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Source bbc.
The bio-tech company Monsanto can sell genetically modified seeds before safety tests on them are completed, the US Supreme Court has ruled.

A lower court had barred the sale of the modified alfalfa seeds until an environmental impact study could be carried out.

But seven of the nine Supreme Court Justices decided that ruling was unconstitutional.

The seed is modified to be resistant to Monsanto's brand of weedkiller.

The US is the world's largest producer of alfalfa, a grass-like plant used as animal feed.

It is the fourth most valuable crop grown in the country.

Environmentalists had argued that there might be a risk of cross-pollination between genetically modified plants and neighbouring crops.

They also argued over-use of the company's weedkiller Roundup, the chemical treatment the alfalfa is modified to be resistant to, could cause pollution of ground water and lead to resistant "super-weeds".

But Monsanto says claims its products were dangerous amounted to "bad science fiction with no support on the record".
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Monsanto corn crop 80% failure in South Africa
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Monsanto GM-corn harvest fails massively in South Africa

South African farmers suffered millions of dollars in lost income when 82,000 hectares of genetically-manipulated corn (maize) failed to produce hardly any seeds. The plants look lush and healthy from the outside. Monsanto has offered compensation.

Monsanto blames the failure of the three varieties of corn planted on these farms, in three South African provinces,on alleged ´┐Żunderfertilisation processes in the laboratory´┐Ż. Some 280 of the 1,000 farmers who planted the three varieties of Monsanto corn this year, have reported extensive seedless corn problems.
Urgent investigation demanded

However environmental activitist Marian Mayet, director of the Africa-centre for biosecurity in Johannesburg, demands an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods, blaming the crop failure on Monsanto´┐Żs genetically-manipulated technology.

Willem Pelser, journalist of the Afrikaans Sunday paper Rapport, writes from Nelspruit that Monsanto has immediately offered the farmers compensation in three provinces ´┐Ż North West, Free State and Mpumalanga. The damage-estimates are being undertaken right now by the local farmers´┐Ż cooperative, Grain-SA. Monsanto claims that ´┐Żless than 25%´┐Ż of three different corn varieties were ´┐Żinsufficiently fertilised in the laboratory´┐Ż.
80% crop failure

However Mayet says Monsanto was grossly understating the problem.According to her own information, some farms have suffered up to 80% crop failures. The centre is strongly opposed to GM-food and biologically-manipulated technology in general.

´┐ŻMonsanto says they just made a mistake in the laboratory, however we say that biotechnology is a failure.You cannot make a ´┐Żmistake´┐Ż with three different varieties of corn.´┐Ż
Demands urgent government investigation:

´┐ŻWe have been warning against GM-technology for years, we have been warning Monsanto that there will be problems,´┐Ż said Mayet. She calls for an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods in South Africa.

´┐ŻWe have been warning against GM-technology for years, we have been warning Monsanto that there will be problems,´┐Ż said Mayet. She calls for an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods in South Africa.

Monsanto´┐Żs local spokeswoman Magda du Toit said the ´┐Żcompany is engaged in establishing the exact extent of the damage on the farms´┐Ż. She did not want to speculate on the extent of the financial losses suffered right now.
Managing director of Monsanto in Africa, Kobus Lindeque, said however that ´┐Żless than 25% of the Monsanto-seeded farms are involved in the loss´┐Ż. He says there will be ´┐Ża review of the seed-production methods of the three varieties involved in the failure, and we will made the necessary adjustments.´┐Ż

He denied that the problem was caused in any way by ´┐Żbio-technology´┐Ż. Instead, there had been ´┐Żinsufficient fertilisation during the seed-production process´┐Ż.
And Grain-SA´┐Żs Nico Hawkins says they ´┐Żare still support GM-technology; ´┐ŻWe will support any technology which will improve production.´┐Ż see
He also they were ´┐Żsatisfied with Monsanto´┐Żs handling of the case,´┐Ż and said Grain-SA was ´┐Żclosely involved in the claims-adjustment methodology´┐Ż between the farmers and Monsanto.

Farmers told Rapport that Monsanto was ´┐Żbending over backwards to try and accommodate them in solving the problem.

´┐ŻIt´┐Żs a very good gesture to immediately offer to compensate the farmers for losses they suffered,´┐Ż said Kobus van Coller, one of the Free State farmers who discovered that his maize cobs were practically seedless this week.

´┐ŻOne can´┐Żt see from the outside whether a plant is unseeded. One must open up the cob leaves to establish the problem,´┐Ż he said. The seedless cobs show no sign of disease or any kind of fungus. They just have very few seeds, often none at all.

The South African supermarket-chain Woolworths already banned GM-foods from its shelves in 2000. However South African farmers have been producing GM-corn for years: they were among the first countries other than the United States to start using the Monsanto products.

The South African government does not require any labelling of GM-foods. Corn is the main staple food for South Africa´┐Żs 48-million people.

The three maize varieties which failed to produce seeds were designed with a built-in resistance to weed-killers, and manipulated to increase yields per hectare, Rapport writes.

4500 Indian suicides after Monsanto 80% cotton crop failures
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source:www.fromdusktildawn.org.uk
A Philadelphia jury has found drug giant Pfizer Inc. guilty of deliberately ignoring evidence that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drug Prempro increased women's risk of breast cancer, ordering it to pay unspecified damages to defendant Connie Barton.
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Australia tells Japan: Stop whaling or face court
The Ady Gil with its bow sheared off after its collision with the Shonan Maru 2, background - 6 January 2010
NZ and Australia have urged both activists and whalers to calm down
Australia has set a deadline for Japan to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean by November this year, or face international legal action.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he was still hopeful that talks with Japan would lead to a voluntary halt.
Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada is to visit Australia this weekend.
Despite a 1986 international moratorium on commercial whaling, Japan kills hundreds of whales each year
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Dementia drug use 'killing many'
By Nick Triggle
Health reporter, BBC News

Anti-psychotic drugs do not benefit many dementia patients

Needless use of anti-psychotic drugs is widespread in dementia care and contributes to the death of many patients, an official review suggests.

About 180,000 patients a year are given the drugs in care homes, hospitals and their own homes to manage aggression.

But the expert review - commissioned by ministers - said the treatment was unnecessary in nearly 150,000 cases and was linked to 1,800 deaths.

The government in England has agreed to take steps to reduce use of the drugs.
There are currently 700,000 people in the UK with the condition, but this is expected to rise to one million in the next 10 years because of the ageing population.

The review, led by King's College London expert Professor Sube Banerjee, accepted that for some people anti-psychotic drugs would be necessary.

But it said they should be used only for a maximum of three months and when the person represented a risk to themselves or others.

Professor Banerjee estimated that of the 180,000 people given the drugs each year, only 36,000 benefited.

He said health and social care services needed to develop a "different mindset".
(source bbc.uk)
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A TORMENTED pensioner who feared he would lose his beloved dog after complaints about its barking has shot himself.

Distraught William Blackley, 78, took his own life because he believed he would get an Asbo for his Yorkshire Terrier Prince.

He took his own life less than a fortnight after a council letter warned him that a neighbour had complained about the pet.

Pal Georgina Carruthers, 62, said: "I'm quite stunned. People are angry and there is a feeling he was being persecuted.

"He thought he was going to get an anti-social behaviour order and was terrified he was going to lose his wee dog.

"You've got to remember that you are dealing with a man of nearly 79 who was under a lot of stress. The neighbours are up in arms about this."

Mr Blackley, of Cathkin, Glasgow, was told by the council they would conduct a noise survey and take "appropriate formal action" if there were further complaints about his dog.

The OAP - who had a gun licence - was also said to have been under stress after nursing his wife Mary until her death.
(source sun.uk)
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U.S. appeals court upholds convictions of animal-rights activists charged under terrorism statute
October 15, 2009 | 6:49 pm
Shac
In a split decision, a U.S. appeals court upheld the convictions of animal-rights activists charged under a terrorism statute with using their Web site to incite threats and vandalism against a company that tests products on animals.

The 2-1 decision was the first federal appellate court ruling on a constitutional challenge to the law.

Defense lawyers call the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty case only the latest example of the government infringing on activists' free speech. One compared it to the pursuit of communists and civil-rights activists a half-century ago.

"The government is always doing the same thing, prosecuting the loud leaders for conspiracy to commit particular crimes that they are not committing, and are not planning to commit," defense lawyer Peter Goldberger said Thursday.

Six members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty were convicted at a 2006 trial in New Jersey of conspiracy to violate the 1992 Animal Enterprise Protection Act. The law, since revised, aimed to protect animal research laboratories from illegal, sometimes violent protests.

The group was formed to protest the activities of Huntingdon Life Sciences in Franklin Township, N.J. The company had been a target of animal activists since video footage surfaced on television in the 1990s depicting animal abuse at its laboratory in the United Kingdom.

Huntingdon used mostly mice and rats , but also some dogs, monkeys, fish and guinea pigs , in its research in New Jersey.

The activists posted the home addresses of Huntingdon officials and contractors on the group's Web site, and harassment, vandalism and violence sometimes followed.

In just one example raised at trial, Andrew Baker, chairman of a Huntingdon holding company, testified that protesters broke windows and threw smoke bombs into his Los Angeles home and also targeted a daughter's apartment in New York, plastering her door with pictures depicting his death.

"While advocating violence that is not imminent and unlikely to occur is protected, speech that constitutes a 'true threat' is not," Judge Julio Fuentes wrote in the lengthy 3rd U.S. Circuit Court ruling issued Wednesday.

The Stop Huntingdon group also endorsed "electronic civil disobedience" , some would call them cyberattacks , using technology to overwhelm company fax machines and computers. The campaign cost Huntingdon more than $400,000 in economic damage, the opinion said.

"The record is rife with evidence that defendants were on notice that their activities put them at risk for prosecution, including the extensive use of various encryption devices and programs used to erase incriminating data from their computer hard drives," Fuentes wrote.

Dissenting Judge Michael Fisher, a former Pennsylvania attorney general, believes the conspiracy convictions should be overturned for lack of evidence.

Much of the government evidence involved actions against companies that did business with Huntingdon, from a pharmaceutical company to the Bank of New York and other financial firms. Yet the defendants were convicted of conspiring to physically and economically damage Huntingdon, Fisher noted.

The defense team will meet with clients to discuss whether to appeal the ruling, said Goldberger, who represents Joshua Harper of Seattle.

Some of the other defendants were also convicted of interstate stalking. The group members were sentenced to up to six years in prison, and a few remain incarcerated. In addition to Harper, they include Darius Fullmer, Andrew Stepanian, Kevin Kjonaas, Lauren Gazzola and Jacob Conroy.
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Pfizer to Pay Record $2.3 Billion Fine
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
September 26 2009 | 2,567 views

lawsuit, settlementIn the largest health care fraud settlement in history, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer must pay $2.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil allegations that the company illegally promoted uses of four of its drugs, including the painkiller Bextra. The other drugs were the antipsychotic Geodon, the antibiotic Zyvox, and the anti-epileptic Lyrica.

Once the Food and Drug Administration approves drugs, doctors can prescribe them off-label for any use, but makers can't market them for anything other than approved uses. Pfizer subsidiary Pharmacia & Upjohn pleaded guilty to a felony violation for promoting off-label uses of Bextra. At the FDA's request, Pfizer pulled Bextra off the market in April 2005 because of its risks.
In a statement, Pfizer senior vice president and general counsel Amy Schulman said, "We regret certain actions taken in the past, but are proud of the action we've taken to strengthen our internal controls and pioneer new procedures."

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I do not agree with personal attacks on Humans or non-humans..
VIOLENCE IS NEVER THE ANSWERE.
Now they've burnt Dan the mans hunting house down,(i will be making a new cover version of the song 'Burning Down The House)no injuries to Human or non-humans...
It proves that Dan doesn't respect nature at all.Remember this industry imprisons,tortures and murders millions of natures living beings each year for no other purpose as profit.The Pharma industry have been caught up in many criminal acts and have been found guilty in international courts.They are proffesional at bending the truth.Other sections of this industry are destroying natures balance through Gene manipulated crops and pesticides, in a quest to own the food supplies of the world.They have an international lobby of politicians with interests in Big Pharma and in positions to influence public opinion.
No there is no excuse for any abuse against Humans or Non-humans.Respect of all natures gifts is the only way.
More than 70 years of animal torture in the laboratories of this planet for no reason, because we all know vivisection is of no benefit to Human beings.
If you love animals,please inform yourselves, because the truth is all around you.Stop The Violence !

The Pharma industry are hiding behind laws which were made to protect them and NOT THE PUBLIC !
Change the laws NOW!

The insurance will pay for the renovation of his property, he won't be ashamed to claim.

ps. Vasella, Bilderburg group member.

3 days after the attack on Dan the Man Vasellas property in Austria there is a letter on the web from the MFAH Austria 'Militant forces against huntingdon life science' admitting the action.
(source 20mins.ch)
yet again mass media manipulation and bullshit information.
The people should be told the truth about the real purpose behind vivisection ,the safer quicker and cheaper alternatives to animal abuse , and then be able to decide in a democratic way.The problem could then be solved.But thats exactly what the industry wants to hide. THE TRUTH.
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http://safermedicines.org/

http://www.animalprotectionparty.com/

http://www.animalsaviors.org/index.html

You can read the blogs or watch a film on my vodpod.
The page will continue to be in German and English :-)

http://kim-powers.blogspot.com/

Special thanks to www.toemu-pix.ch
for my live new pickies :-)
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What are the alternatives to animal experiments?

Alternative research methods
At the start of the 21st Century, non-animal techniques have become the cutting edge of medical research. Animal experiments are being replaced by a range of alternative methods that frequently prove cheaper, quicker and more effective ´┐Ż as well as saving lives.

Cell culture
It is possible to obtain human cells and tissues from biopsies, post-mortems, placentas, or as waste from surgery, and grow them in the laboratory. Cell cultures are used in many medical fields, and have contributed enormously to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of cancer, Parkinson's disease, and AIDS. Cell cultures are routinely used in vaccine production, toxicity testing, drug development and to diagnose disease.

It is important that human cells, rather than animal cells, are used for medical research, to avoid the problem of relating results from one species to another. To encourage the use of human tissue the Dr Hadwen Trust has helped establish the UK Human Tissue Bank at Leicester. The Trust has funded research using human cells and tissues to replace animal experiments, into Alzheimer's disease, cancer, rheumatism, cataracts, allergies, meningitis, and more.

Analytical technology
Technological advances are resulting in improved molecular methods for analysing and identifying new compounds and medicines. The Trust provided analytical equipment to researchers selecting new anti-cancer and anti-malaria drugs, based on their molecular interaction with DNA, as an alternative to selecting drugs by animal tests.

New methods of rapidly analysing DNA samples from humans have been developed and are now being used to understand the biochemistry and genetics underlying various illnesses, leading to better treatments. For example, the Trust has funded research into genes that predispose individuals to fibrosing lung disease, as an alternative to modelling the illness in animals such as genetically modified mice.

The latest laser technology (MALD-TOF-MS) combined with genetic analysis has been applied by a Trust researcher to identify infectious microbes without animal tests, as a humane alternative to old tests that relied on rabbits and guinea pigs.

Microorganisms
Tests with simple microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, yeasts and algae are being used as early indicators of chemicals likely to be harmful, and are frequently faster, cheaper and more humane than animal tests. Bacteria can be genetically manipulated to manufacture useful products previously obtained from animals, such as human insulin and monoclonal antibodies.

Computer models
Computers are increasingly being used to model the structure and actions of new drugs, and to predict their safety. Computer models of whole biological systems are now being developed with which 'virtual' experiments can be conducted, as alternatives to experiments on animals.

The Trust has helped develop various computer models, including a model of the human placenta and foetus which assisted the treatment of problems affecting unborn babies; and a model of the human jaw and teeth for dental research. These models are based on relevant human data and can be used to carry our simulated experiments, in place of experiments on animals. We have also supported work using mathematical modelling to improve cancer treatments, and to explore illnesses of ageing.

Population research
Studying diseases in human populations, and the effects of lifestyle, diet and occupation has already revealed a great deal about cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and birth defects. Such information is vital to improving human health and providing clues to the causes of illnesses. The Trust funded part of a large population study into how foetal and infant growth influences the development of heart disease in later life, as an alternative to experiments on pregnant animals.

Volunteer studies
One of the best ways to conduct medical research is by studying the whole human being. New scanning and imaging techniques are making it increasingly possible to conduct safe and ethical studies of human volunteers, where previously animals had been used. Trust projects have made use of a variety of sophisticated imaging techniques to non-invasively investigate the intact human body. These include using a MEG scanner to study epileptic patients; investigating pain in patients with functional MRI; and developing a novel technique, TMS, to study the function of the human brain in healthy volunteers.

MORE than half of all children taking Tamiflu to fight swine flu have experienced side effects such as nausea and nightmares, research showed yesterday.

A total of 103 children took part in the study and 45 experienced one or more problems.

Eighty-five per cent of those who took the drug showed no signs of the illness but took Tamiflu after a classmate was diagnosed with the disease.

The most frequently reported side effect was nausea, followed by stomach pain or cramps, and sleeping problems.

Almost one in five reported suffering poor concentration, feeling dazed or confused, and ´┐Żbehaving strangely´┐Ż.

The study, from the Health Protection Agency, was carried out at three London schools in April and May ´┐Ż before the Government decided to only give Tamiflu to those with suspected or confirmed swine flu.

A statement from Roche, which manufactures Tamiflu, said the connection between the drug and mental side effects ´┐Żhas not been established´┐Ż.
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Animal rights activists set up camp outside Normanby by Spital rabbit farm
source:www.marketrasenmail.co.uk
Published Date: 27 July 2009
Monday 3pm

ANTI-VIVISECTION activists have set up camp close to the entrance to Highgate Rabbit Farm at Normanby by Spital, protesting against the farm's programme of breeding rabbits and ferrets for the vivisection industry, including Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS)
Around half a dozen protesters arrived at about 8.30am this morning and set up tents and banners about 100 yards away from the main entrance.

Nineteen year old leader Chris witheld his surname but reassured everyone the demonstration was '110 per cent peaceful'.

"This is the lawful side of the animal rights movement," he said. "We are here to peacefully protest and are trying to keep it non-confrontational.

"We're here just to be here, to act as a gentle reminder to the farmer that it's an unacceptable way to make a living and to let local people know we're here."

Chris, who is from the West Country, is a full time activist on animal and human rights and environmental issues and said that although this protest had been organised by him, he was working in conjunction with the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign.

Other activists have joined the camp during the day but Chris said he did not expect there would be more than a dozen or so as people came and went. He expected the camp to last until Friday.

One of those who came later was Ally from Spilsby, who said she had been involved in animal rights issues for many years.

"As this was local we decided to come," she said.

Farmer Geoff Douglas said much of the farm had been converted into a wildlife reserve.

"We are very much animal orientated and most of our animals go to develop vaccines for animals," he said.

He added that he would be writing to The Mail with an explanation of the work that went on there. This letter will be published in The Mail and on this website as soon as it is received.

The demonstration is seen as a precursor to a large national demonstration organised by SHAC planned outside Highgate Farm on September 26, when around 500 demonstrators are expected to attend.

* Huntingdon Life Sciences is an animal-testing company founded in 1952 in England, but now with branches in America and Japan. It is the largest such commercial organisation in Europe and employs about 1,700 people, conducting tests on around 75,000 animals a year, testing pharmaceutical products, agricultural chemicals, industrial chemicals and foodstuffs on behalf of private clients worldwide.
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Upward jump in lab animal tests
By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News

Laboratory mouse (SPL)
Rodents were used in 77% of animal experiments

The number of animals used in UK laboratories for scientific experiments has risen again.

Home Office figures show that in 2008, 3.7 million procedures using animals were carried out in England, Wales and Scotland - an increase of 14% on 2007.

This represents a spike in the year-on-year trend, although numbers have been increasing for several years.

More than three-quarters of procedures were carried out on rodents. Most of the remainder involved birds and fish.

Dogs, cats, horses and non-human primates receive special protection under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. These were used in less than 1% of all procedures.

STOP ALL ANIMAL TESTING NOW! (KP)

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US government gives Baxter, Novartis legal immunity in advance for any injury and death caused by H1N1 vaccine this autumn
July 18, 2009 by birdflu666

When the US government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu in 1976, the programme had to be abandoned because the vaccines ´┐Ż allegedly produced by Baxter among other companies ´┐Ż caused death and injury to so many people. Thousands who filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots won compensation.

This time, however, the US government has rushed through a legal document barring people in advance from claiming any compensation for an unsafe H1N1 vaccine that they can be forced to take by the US government at gunpoint according to federal and state legislation, thereby putting the entire burden of risk of the mandatory vaccination programme against the artificial H1N1 virus bioengineered in a lab on the people of the USA.

´┐ŻVaccine makers and federal officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine flu vaccine, under a document signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius,´┐Ż according to the Associated Press.

´┐ŻThe document signed by Sebelius last month grants immunity to those making a swine flu vaccine, under the provisions of a 2006 law for public health emergencies. It allows for a compensation fund, if needed.´┐Ż

It appears compensation can still be claimed if criminal intent is shown on the part of the vaccine manufacturers.

Baxter´┐Żs Austrian subsidiary is currently under investigation by police for contaminating 72 kilos of vaccine material with live bird flu virus supplied by WHO in an act that cannot have been accidental given the strict standards governing biosafety level 3 facilities, and therefore for demonstrating just such criminal intent.

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All countries must give entire population H1N1 jab, orders WHO * Baxter executives sit on WHO ´┐Żadvisory vaccine board´┐Ż * Dr Chan does not appear at press briefing as expected
July 13, 2009 by birdflu666

Executives from Baxter, Novartis, GSK and Sanofi Pasteur have seats at the advisory group that today recommended mandatory H1N1 jabs to WHO, according to a WHO document.

Such a recommendation becomes binding on all 194 signatory countries if accepted by WHO as formally happened today in the event of a pandemic emergency being declared by WHO under the International Health Regulations act of 2005 and the WHO pandemic plan of April 2009.

http://www.who.int/immunization/sage/LOP_SAGE_7_JULY_08_07_09.pdf

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Experts have reported the first case of swine flu that is resistant to tamiflu - the main drug being used to fight the pandemic.

As the anticipated July release date for Baxter's A/H1N1 flu pandemic vaccine approaches, an Austrian investigative journalist is warning the world that the greatest crime in the history of humanity is underway.

Jane Burgermeister has recently filed criminal charges with the FBI against the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN), and several of the highest ranking government and corporate officials concerning bioterrorism and attempts to commit mass murder. She has also prepared an injunction against forced vaccination which is being filed in America. These actions follow her charges filed in April against Baxter AG and Avir Green Hills Biotechnology of Austria for producing contaminated bird flu vaccine, alleging this was a deliberate act to cause and profit from a pandemic.

Summary of claims and allegations filed with FBI in Austria on June 10, 2009

In her charges, Burgermeister presents evidence of acts of bioterrorism that is in violation of U.S. law by a group operating within the U.S. under the direction of international bankers who control the Federal Reserve, as well as WHO, UN and NATO. This bioterrorism is for the purpose of carrying out a mass genocide against the U.S. population by use of a genetically engineered flu pandemic virus with the intent of causing death. This group has annexed high government offices in the U.S.

Specifically, evidence is presented that the defendants, Barack Obama, President of the U.S, David Nabarro, UN System Coordinator for Influenza, Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, David de Rotschild, banker, David Rockefeller, banker, George Soros, banker, Werner Faymann, Chancellor of Austria, and Alois Stoger, Austrian Health Minister, among others, are part of this international corporate criminal syndicate which has developed, produced, stockpiled and employed biological weapons to eliminate the population of the U.S. and other countries for financial and political gain.
See Blog below :-)

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source.bbc.co.uk.
American-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer has signed a settlement worth up to $75m (´┐Ż45m) with the Nigerian state of Kano, a joint statement says.

It follows a long-running legal battle over allegations that children were harmed by an experimental drug, Trovan, during a meningitis outbreak in 1996.

Eleven children died and more than 180 others suffered serious illness.

Pfizer says the children were victims of meningitis, and maintains the drug saved lives.

The joint statement says: "We are pleased to announce that we have reached a final agreement to settle the Trovan litigation between Pfizer and the Kano state government."

'Best interests'

It says they agree that settlement of the case is in the best interests of both parties because it "avoids the costs and distraction of protracted litigation".

The statement says there is no admission of liability by Pfizer in connection with the Trovan study in 1996.

The deal will see Pfizer underwrite several healthcare initiatives chosen by the state government in Kano, worth $30m.

There is also a fund which could disburse up to $35m to those who took part in the 1996 study.

And Pfizer has also agreed to reimburse Kano for $10m in legal costs.

The 1996 study was carried out during an epidemic of measles, cholera and meningitis in which more than 12,000 people are reported to have died.

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Michael Jackson killed by BIG PHARMA ?
Sources close to the singer´┐Żs entourage said he was injected three times a day with Demerol - the potent painkiller given to him before his collapse at home in LA .

Jacko, who suffered a heart attack, was taking another painkiller, Dilaudid. And sources said he had recently been prescribed yet ANOTHER narcotic pain reliever, Vicodin.

His other drugs included muscle relaxant Soma, a sedative called Xanax and anti-depressant Zoloft. He also took Paxil for anxiety and heartburn pill Prilosec. (source thesun.uk)
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MJ died a JUNKIE thanks to daily injections of Diprivan (or Propofol) and another painkiller Vistaril, plus swallowing a cocktail of pills including anxiety drug Xanax, anti-depressants Prozac and Zoloft and anti-indigestion drug Prilosec.
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Beside of that, there's nothing to thank for - 'cause, it's nothing compared to the support you're delievering for the pets every... and hey, if you believe it or not, yesterday I was thinking about putting you even higher in our Top Friends... but I'm really sorry mate, the girls above you are definitely prettier than you are...!! ;-))

Who knows if you're right? (Well, if so, I guess a few things should be different...!? ;-)

But anyway it's good to hear so thanks a lot!

Wonder where you got to hear that track... and which one?! The new album will be released on January 23rd and it'll be a "Live-Album", one new studio-single included... hope you'll be one of those 390'000 to buy a copy!! :-)

All the best wishes and a happy and successful new year! Keep up your incredible engagement for animals! Hope we'll meet some day...